The 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals are set to begin Thursday when Kylian Mbappé and France take on an upset-minded Morocco team.
World Cup co-hosts U.S., Canada and Mexico will be watching from the sideline after being eliminated in the round of 16.
Here’s everything you need to know about the World Cup matches being played Thursday, Friday and Saturday across the U.S., Mexico and Canada (all times Pacific).
Thursday’s quarterfinal match
France vs. Morocco
France’s Kylian Mbappé jogs on the field during a win over Iraq in the World Cup on June 22.
The buzz: France, bidding to make its third consecutive World Cup final, needed a penalty kick from Kylian Mbappé to dispatch stubborn Paraguay, a third-place team, in the round of 16. France has scored 16 times — Mbappé has seven of them, giving him 19 career World Cup goals — while goalkeeper Mike Maignan has conceded just two goals in five matches. Morocco, a semifinalist four years ago, advanced with a 3-0 win over Canada that ran its unbeaten streak to 34 games. Azzedine Ounahi scored twice in that game and is one of three Moroccan players with multiple goals. Morocco, a former French colony, has almost as many French-born players on its roster, six, as it does native Moroccans, seven.
Friday’s quarterfinal match
Spain vs. Belgium
Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón catches the ball in front of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo during Spain’s round-of-16 win on July 6.
The buzz: Spain is the first team in World Cup history to record six consecutive shutouts and goalkeeper Unai Simón has gone 609 minutes without allowing a World Cup goal, a streak that dates to group play of the last tournament four years ago. Spain, however, has struggled to score consistently, collecting a goal or less in three of its five games, including a round-of-16 win over Portugal on Mikel Merino’s goal in stoppage time. Mikel Oyarzabal is Spain’s leading scorer with four goals. Belgium earned its place in the quarterfinals by thumping the U.S. 4-1 in Seattle in its most complete game of the tournament. Belgium outshot the Americans 15-7, putting seven on target. Charles De Ketelaere had a brace in the first half and Belgium never looked back. For an aging golden generation of Belgian players, including Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Thibaut Courtois and Axel Witsel, this might be the final chance to grab a title.
Saturday’s quarterfinal matches
Norway vs. England
England’s Harry Kane celebrates after scoring during a win over Mexico on July 5.
(Eduardo Verdugo / Associated Press)
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla. Time: 2 p.m. TV: Fox, Telemundo | Streaming: Fox One, Peacock
The buzz: The forecast calls for temperatures in the high 80s, humidity at 77% and a chance of rain, challenging conditions for two teams from northern Europe. Norway, which knocked off Brazil to reach the quarterfinals for the first time, has scored 12 times in five games — Erling Haaland has seven of those, including both against Brazil — but has conceded nine, winning just once by more than a goal. Haaland’s 39% shot-conversation rate is the best in a World Cup since 1986. Unbeaten England had to gut out a tough win in the rare air of Mexico City with just 10 men to reach the quarterfinals for a third straight time. Captain Harry Kane is fourth in the Golden Boot race with six goals.
Argentina vs. Switzerland
Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring against Egypt on July 7 at the World Cup.
(Associated Press)
Where: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo. Time: 6 p.m. TV: Fox, Telemundo | Streaming: Fox One, Peacock
The buzz: Unbeaten Argentina needed three goals in 13 minutes to stay that way, barely escaping its round-of-16 game with Egypt on Enzo Fernández’s goal in stoppage time. Lionel Messi’s tying goal in the 83rd minute extended his World Cup scoring streak to nine games. He entered the quarterfinals leading the tournament with eight goals. Switzerland, also unbeaten, eliminated Colombia on penalties to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 1954. The Swiss have nine goals, three of those coming from 20-year-old Johan Manzambi, the youngest player on the team.
Protesters from unions, civil society and left-wing parties aim to disrupt AfD annual conference in Erfurt.
By AFP, AP, DPA and Reuters
Published On 4 Jul 20264 Jul 2026
Thousands of opponents of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party have blocked roads leading to the party’s annual conference ahead of regional elections.
An estimated 20,000 people flocked to Erfurt, in Thuringia state, on Saturday, according to German police.
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Protesters from unions, civil society groups and left-wing parties gathered in the centre of the city, some 250km (155 miles) southwest of the capital, Berlin. The police also reported several street blockades.
“We want to make it clear that we simply won’t tolerate this, that fascism is on the rise here in Germany,” Georg Becker, a spokesperson for Widersetzen (“Resist”), an anti-AfD umbrella group, told the Reuters news agency.
Large numbers of police, including reinforcements from across Germany, were deployed ahead of the AfD’s two-day conference. Police told the dpa news agency they counted more than 200 buses of protesters arriving in Erfurt.
Protesters blocked routes into the city, with some abseiling from a motorway bridge. Several groups staged sit-in blockades around the city centre, the AFP news agency said. The Associated Press reported that some protesters clashed with police in riot gear.
Still, most AfD delegates managed to reach the conference centre where party representatives said the congress began on time despite the protests.
‘Anti-democratic’ and ‘extremist’ views
AfD became the second largest party in elections last year, scoring the best result for a far-right party since World War II.
Opinion polls suggest that the party has opened a clear lead over German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives, partially driven by years of economic stagnation. AfD seems likely to take power at a state level for the first time in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, paving the way for more success at a national level.
Although AfD has grown in popularity, it remains controversial. All mainstream parties have ruled out cooperating with AfD over “anti-democratic” and “extremist” views.
AfD has also been monitored by the domestic intelligence agency for several years on suspicion of anti-constitutional activities.
Protesters in Erfurt want the party banned.
Noa Sander, another spokesperson for the Resist protest alliance told AFP, “The AfD wants mass deportations and ethnic cleansing,” in reference to the party’s “remigration” demands.
“It should be banned. We intend to do this by blockading their party conference and standing in the way of the AfD, its policies and members wherever they appear, making sure they have no place in society.” Sander said.
Back and forth over defence spending comes as NATO leaders set to meet in Ankara next week.
Published On 3 Jul 20263 Jul 2026
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has defended his country’s NATO defence spending, shortly after US President Donald Trump re-upped his criticism of alliance members.
The statement on Friday came as NATO leaders were set to meet next week in Ankara. Trump has decried defence spending by members of the bloc throughout his political career, calling the balance of spending “ridiculous” and “one-sided” in his latest Truth Social posts on the issue earlier this week.
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In one post, Trump said Germany’s spending was “MUCH LOWER” between 2014 and 2025 than the US or other NATO allies, which he again called “Ridiculous!”
When asked about the comment, Merz said Germany would double its defence budget within four years.
“This is the greatest effort we have ever made to strengthen our defence capabilities. In this respect, we have no reason to shy away from anyone,” Merz said.
“We will state this, with all due modesty, and we are doing so as the European Union’s largest member state, bearing a responsibility within Europe,” he said.
US and European ties have been strained throughout Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021 and his current term, which began in January 2025.
However, while largely dismissive of the president during his first four years in office, several European leaders have sought a more amenable approach to the president this time around.
At the behest of the US, NATO leaders agreed to spend 3.5 percent of their countries’ GDP on core defence items, such as weapons and troops, by 2035, an increase of the previous goal set by the bloc of 2 percent of its GDP.
However, relations have since frayed over several issues, including Trump’s pledges to take control of the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland. Denmark is a member of NATO.
The US-Israeli war in Iran has also proven to be a major wedge, with Trump launching the conflict without consulting European allies who have dealt with the fallout of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump had repeatedly condemned European allies for not joining the war effort.
Merz, meanwhile, roiled the president by saying in April the US had been “humiliated” by Iran. Trump, in turn, said the US would withdraw 5,000 troops currently stationed in Germany.
Speaking on Friday, Merz said Germany was ahead of schedule to reach its NATO commitments.
“We will reach the 3.5 percent benchmark set in The Hague as early as 2029,” he told reporters, “well ahead of the agreed deadline”.
The round of 32 is nearly complete, with several teams already set to play in the round of 16, including tournament co-hosts U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Here’s everything you need to know about World Cup knockout stage matches being played Friday, Saturday and Sunday across the U.S., Mexico and Canada (all times Pacific).
Friday’s round of 32 matches
Australia vs. Egypt
Egypt’s Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring against New Zealand on June 21.
The buzz: Australia finished second to the U.S. in its group but stumbled into the round of 32, going 195 minutes without a goal. It’s the first time since 1974 that Australia has gone scoreless in consecutive World Cup games. The Socceroos are playing in the knockout stage for the third time in 20 years but have yet to win an elimination game. Unbeaten Egypt also finished second in its group, on a goal-differential tiebreaker. Its five goals have come from five players. The Pharaohs, Africa’s oldest national team, will be playing in the second round for the first time.
Argentina vs. Cape Verde
Argentina’s Lionel Messi, left, and Jordan’s Noussair Mazraoui battle for the ball on June 27.
(Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla. Time: 3 p.m. TV: Fox, Telemundo
The buzz: The last World Cup loss for Argentina came in its 2022 opener, making its nine-game unbeaten run the longest under one coach since 1986, the year it won its second championship. Speaking of streaks, when Lionel Messi came off the bench to score in the group finale, it gave him goals in a record seven consecutive World Cup games. He is tied with France’s Kylian Mbappé in the Golden Boot race, having scored six of Argentina’s eight goals. Unbeaten Cape Verde is playing in the World Cup for the first time, advancing to the knockout stages behind three straight draws, two of them clean sheets by Vozinha, the team’s 40-year-old keeper. It is the first debutant to go unbeaten in the group stage since Senegal in 2002. The smallest country ever to advance out of World Cup group play, Cape Verde had just seven shots on target in the group stage.
Colombia vs. Ghana
Colombia’s Gustavo Puerta reacts during a match against Portugal on June 27.
The buzz: Unbeaten Colombia won its group but scored just once in its final two games. It’s 59 shots tied for third in the group stage, but just four of those found the back of the net. Goalkeeper Camilo Vargas, on the other hand, has been called on to make just four saves. Ghana is back in the knockout stages for the first time since 2010, advancing as a third-place team.
Saturday’s round of 16 matches
Canada vs. Morocco
Canada’s Alphonso Davies plays against South Africa on June 28.
The buzz: Canada, the first World Cup host to play outside its borders, eliminated South Africa on a stoppage-time goal from LAFC midfielder Stephen Eustáquio at SoFi Stadium in the team’s first-ever elimination game. Playing again in the U.S., Canada could be even stronger and more confident with Alphonso Davies back from injury. Morocco, one of nine African teams to reach the knockout stages, got a stoppage-time goal from defender Issa Diop to send its round-of-32 game with the Netherlands to penalty kicks, then got a big save from keeper Yassine Bounou to knock off another major European power. Four years ago, Morocco eliminated Spain on penalties.
Paraguay vs. France
France’s Kylian Mbappé scores against Sweden on June 30.
(Frank Franklin II / Associated Press)
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia Time: 2 p.m. TV: Fox, Telemundo
The buzz: Paraguay, the third-place team from Group D, was dominated by Germany everywhere but on the scoreboard, stunning the four-time champion on penalties in the upset of the tournament. Germany had the ball 76% of the time and outshot Paraguay 21-7, but Paraguayan keeper Orlando Gill was phenomenal, especially in the shootout. France has been the dominant team of this World Cup, winning all four of its games while outsourcing opponents 13-2. Captain Kylian Mbappé has six of those goals.
Sunday’s round of 16 matches
Brazil vs. Norway
Norway’s Erling Haaland celebrates after a win over the Ivory Coast on June 30.
The buzz: Brazil rallied from a halftime deficit to eliminate Japan, 2-1, on a stoppage-time goal from second-half substitute Gabriel Martinelli. That kept alive a couple of streaks: Brazil has made it to the round of 16 in every World Cup since 1966, while Japan has yet to win an elimination game. Norway, playing in the tournament for the first time since Erling Haaland was born, has gotten five goals from its captain, including the winner in the 86th minute of his team’s round-of-32 victory over Ivory Coast, Norway’s first-ever win in the knockout rounds.
Mexico vs. England
England’s Harry Kane celebrates after scoring against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on July 1.
The buzz: Mexico rode a pair of first-half goals to a 2-0 win over Ecuador, its first victory in the knockout stages since 1986, the last time the World Cup was played in Mexico. El Tri is averaging two goals a game and has yet to concede one. A win here, in the smoggy and thin air of Azteca, would send Mexico to the quarterfinals, again for the first time since 1986. England, meanwhile, needed two goals from Harry Kane in the last 15 minutes to get past the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kane has scored five of England’s eight goals.
The German football association is seeking talks with Jurgen Klopp about becoming their men’s national team coach after Julian Nagelsmann resigned.
Nagelsmann requested to be relieved of his duties on Thursday following the team’s early exit from the World Cup.
The German FA (DFB) has now granted that request and immediately terminated their contractual relationship with the 38-year-old former Bayern Munich boss.
In a statement, DFB said it “will now seek talks with Jurgen Klopp”, adding: “He has already signaled his general willingness to take on the position.”
Germany bowed out of the World Cup on Monday after the four-time winners were beaten by Paraguay on penalties in the last 32.
Initially Nagelsmann, who was appointed in 2023, was determined to remain in charge, saying after the game: “I’m not someone who runs away.”
But in a statement on Friday, he said: “I’ve done a lot of thinking in the days since our elimination and have consulted with trusted individuals both personally and within the federation.
“The decision was anything but easy for me. My top priority has always been the team ‘s success. After such a bitter disappointment, they deserve the chance for a fresh start.”
ROME — President Trump’s attacks on Italy’s premier have had an unintended consequence.
After Trump questioned Italy’s reliability as a wartime ally and claimed Giorgia Meloni had groveled for his attention, European leaders rallied to Meloni’s side, thawing what had been a frosty relationship over her hard-right political roots.
It is the latest example of how the often divisive American president is helping to draw Europe closer together.
European leaders are finding more reasons to coordinate on defense, tariffs and foreign policy as they confront wars in Ukraine and Iran, a ballooning trade deficit with China, and threats from Russia. That leaves Trump, who has often preferred to negotiate with European countries individually, with less ability to do so, analysts say.
“Most of the mainstream leaders realize that Europe is getting squeezed between China and America, and so, if not now, then when?” said Sudha David-Wilp, vice president at the German Marshall Fund. “They need to act as a bloc in order to maintain Europe’s place in the world.”
This newfound European unity could be tested next week at a NATO summit in Turkey.
European leaders rally around Meloni
Meloni’s spat with Trump has helped her strengthen ties with European leaders once wary of her party’s post-fascist roots.
A pivotal moment came in March when she wouldn’t allow U.S. bombers headed to the Middle East to use a base in Sicily without parliamentary approval.
For years before then, France and Germany often kept Meloni outside the small-group talks that helped shape Europe’s response to major foreign policy crises. That persisted into 2026 amid disagreements over the Russian war on Ukraine, including Meloni’s rejection of a proposal by Britain and France to send European troops there following a possible ceasefire.
But Trump’s escalating attacks on Meloni — who called Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo “unacceptable” — helped shift the dynamic, prompting European leaders to rally around her.
After all, they, too, have been on the receiving end of Trump’s barbs.
Meloni was firmly in the fold at a late June meeting in Berlin with the leaders of Germany, France, Britain and Poland. And she met the next day with French President Emmanuel Macron in southern France — the first bilateral summit since the pandemic.
Europe’s nationalist parties are adjusting
Even nationalist parties across the continent once aligned with Trump are recalibrating their stances because his trade policies and war with Iran are proving unpopular with voters.
In France, far-right leader Jordan Bardella recently blasted U.S. actions as “foreign interference” and described Trump as “erratic” and “extremely unsteady.” Bardella had previously welcomed Trump’s brand of nationalism as a “wind of freedom.”
In Germany, leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany party have criticized the U.S. military campaign against Iran. The co-leader of the party, Tino Chrupalla, said in March he was “extremely disappointed” with Trump, whom he had viewed as a politician who would avoid new conflicts.
The changing rhetoric comes as elections approach, putting more focus on domestic issues.
“This pushes everyone to consider a European horizon more than an international one,” said Lorenzo Castellani, a political analyst and professor at Rome’s LUISS University,
Beyond Europe’s biggest powers
These dynamics are playing out beyond the European Union, from the Arctic Ocean to the Balkans.
When Trump threatened to take Greenland by force, protests erupted in its capital, Nuuk, and in the Danish capital of Copenhagen. Leaders across the political spectrum bristled at the threatened infringement of European sovereignty and feared it could shatter the already stressed NATO military alliance.
In Albania, a luxury development being planned that is linked to Trump’s family business has become a major political issue, drawing protests in June.
The political risks of close alignment with Trump were perhaps most clearly illustrated in Hungary. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — long regarded as Trump’s closest ally in the European Union — was voted out of office in April despite support from the U.S. president and prominent figures in the MAGA movement.
An analysis by the consultancy Maplecroft suggested that negative perceptions of the Trump administration may have weighed on Orbán politically.
Meloni’s balancing act
Though Meloni remains closely aligned with Trump on issues like immigration and security, she has long diverged from him on Ukraine. Her steadfast support for Kyiv made her more palatable for European leaders and has been a key factor in forging a more united European front toward the U.S.
During their public spat last month, Meloni said her friendship with Trump came with a heavy political cost.
In her response to his accusation that she had “begged” to be photographed with him while at the recent G7 summit in France, she wrote on social media: “As for my popularity, being your friend has certainly not helped it, nor does it depend on my relationship with you.”
A recent Pew Research Center survey found that Trump is deeply unpopular in Italy. According to the survey, 83% of Italians have no confidence in Trump’s ability to do the right thing regarding foreign affairs. His handling of a range of issues — including Iran, tariffs, and U.S. immigration policies — received a low level of support.
With a national election due by 2027 — and possibly as early as next spring — Meloni faces mounting political pressures, including fallout from the unpopular Iran war and her former ties to Trump.
Voters across Europe could hold their own politicians accountable for the actions of an American president beyond their control, said Castellani, the political analyst.
“At a certain point, when voters see the price of gasoline rising because of a war perceived as distant, they ask Meloni for the bill, not Trump.”
Zampano and McNeil write for the Associated Press. McNeil reported from Brussels. AP writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Geir Moulson in Berlin, and Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, contributed to this report.
Prosecutors allege a yacht was used in the sabotage of pipelines, with the suspect leading the operation.
By Reuters and The Associated Press
Published On 2 Jul 20262 Jul 2026
German federal prosecutors have filed charges against a 50-year-old Ukrainian national over a series of explosions that destroyed two Nord Stream underwater gas pipelines linking Russia to Europe in 2022.
The federal prosecutor’s office declined to comment on the specifics of the indictment on Wednesday against the accused, who is identified only as Serhii K in court documents under German privacy rules.
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Serhii K is accused of attacking civilian energy infrastructure, causing an explosion, and destroying structures, according to the German public broadcaster ARD.
The underwater explosions damaged both the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines so severely that no gas could be transported through them, knocking out the key routes for Russian gas to Europe for months after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In a December 2025 detention filing by the Federal Court of Justice, prosecutors allege that Serhii K helped coordinate a team that used a sailing yacht, the Andromeda, to place explosive devices on the pipelines near Denmark’s Bornholm Island in September 2022.
According to those documents, Serhii K is suspected of acting as the on-board coordinator and team leader, not as a diver or bomb expert.
The Berlin law firm Menaker, which is representing the accused Ukrainian, has not provided any details on the indictment.
Federal prosecutors confirmed to the AFP news agency that Serhii K was the same suspect who was arrested in August 2025 in Italy and extradited to Germany the following November, and who was named at the time as Serhii Kuznietsov.
At the time of his arrest, German prosecutors said Kuznietsov had used forged identity documents to charter a yacht, which departed from the German city of Rostock to carry out the attacks.
Kuznietsov has denied being part of the sabotage operation. He said he was a member of the Ukrainian armed forces and in Ukraine at the time of the incident, a claim his defence team has said would give him “functional immunity” under international law.
Answering a question from Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine during a news conference in Dublin on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was too soon to comment on the charges against Serhii K in detail.
“We have not officially received any details; at least I have not seen them”, Zelenskyy said. “It is too early to say yet,” he added.
Ukraine’s government has previously denied any involvement in the sabotage or knowledge of the plot to bomb the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines.
The round of 32 is in progress, with several teams already moving on the round of 16, including tournament co-hosts Canada and Mexico. The U.S. will be looking to do the same when it faces Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday.
Here’s everything you need to know about World Cup knockout stage matches being played Wednesday, Thursday and Friday across the U.S., Mexico and Canada (all times Pacific).
Wednesday’s round of 32 matches
England vs. DR Congo
England’s Jude Bellingham celebrates with teammates after scoring against Panama on June 27.
(Steve Luciano / Associated Press)
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta Time: 9 a.m. TV: Fox, Telemundo
The buzz: England was unbeaten in group play, but it looked sluggish, failing to score in a goalless draw with Ghana then needing two second-half scores to beat Panama. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have combined for five of England’s six goals while Jordan Pickford hasn’t given up a goal since the opening half of the first game. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, playing in the World Cup for the first time since 1974, made it out of the group stage for the first time ever by beating Uzbekistan with three second-half goals.
Belgium vs. Senegal
Belgium’s Leandro Trossard celebrates after scoring against New Zealand on June 26.
The buzz: Unbeaten Belgium didn’t score a goal of its own until routing New Zealand 5-1 in its group-play finale. That allowed it to finish atop of its group and advance to the knockout stages, something it failed to do four years ago. Senegal started with consecutive losses, but routed Iraq 5-0, giving it the best goal differential of all third-place teams and allowing it to advance.
U.S. vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
U.S. forward Christian Pulisic shoots during a loss to Turkey at the World Cup on June 25.
The buzz: The U.S. won its group, winning twice in the first round for the first time since 1930. But it has won just once beyond the group stage in its history and hasn’t beaten a European team in 12 tries dating to November 2022. Bosnia-Herzegovina beat Qatar in its group-stage finale to advance to the knockout rounds for the first time. Ermin Mahmic has two of the team’s five goals.
Thursday’s round of 32 matches
Spain vs. Austria
Austria’s Marko Arnautovic celebrates after a goal against Algeria on June 27 at the World Cup.
The buzz: Spain did not allow a goal in the group stage with keeper Unai Simón making just four saves in the three shutouts. But No. 3 Spain has struggled offensively; leave out its 4-0 rout of Saudi Arabia and it scored just once. Austria needed a goal deep in stoppage time to draw Algeria and finish second in its group, advancing to the second round for the first time since 1982. Marko Arnautovic has two of the team’s six goals.
Portugal vs. Croatia
Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo attempts an overhead kick against Colombia at the World Cup on June 27.
(Robert Cianflone / Getty Images)
Where: BMO Field, Toronto Time: 4 p.m. TV: FS1, Telemundo
The buzz: Call this the Geritol Cup. Unbeaten Portugal finished second in its group with Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, becoming the second-oldest male to score in a World Cup and the only man to score in six consecutive tournaments while Croatia saw Luka Modric become the oldest player in history to record a World Cup assist. Croatia has reached the semifinals of the last two tournaments, but its golden generation is aging. Portugal, a quarterfinalist in 2022, is hoping to give Ronaldo the one title he’s missing.
Switzerland vs. Algeria
Switzerland’s Johan Manzambi heads the ball against Canada at the World Cup on June 24.
(Abbie Parr / Associated Press)
Where: BC Place, Vancouver Time: 8 p.m. TV: FS1, Telemundo
The buzz: Unbeaten Switzerland held off Canada in its last game to win its group for the first time since 2006. The Swiss have not won a knockout-round game since 1954. Midfielder Johan Manzambi, the team’s youngest player at 20, has three of Switzerland’s seven goals. Algeria drew Austria in its group-play final to advance as a third-place team. Riyad Mahrez, 35, had a brace in that game and leads Algeria with two goals.
Friday’s round of 32 matches
Australia vs. Egypt
Egypt’s Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring against New Zealand at the World Cup on June 21.
The buzz: Australia finished second to the U.S. in its group but stumbled into the round of 32, going 195 minutes without a goal. It’s the first time since 1974 Australia has gone scoreless in consecutive World Cup games. The Socceroos are playing in the knockout stage for the third time in 20 years but have yet to win an elimination game. Unbeaten Egypt also finished second in its group, on a goal-differential tiebreaker. Its five goals have come from five different players. The Pharaohs, Africa’s oldest national team, will be playing in the second round of the World Cup for the first time.
Argentina vs. Cape Verde
Argentina’s Lionel Messi, left, and Jordan’s Noussair Mazraoui battle for the ball at the World Cup on June 27.
(Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla. Time: 3 p.m. TV: Fox, Telemundo
The buzz: The last World Cup loss for Argentina came in its 2022 opener, making its nine-game unbeaten run the longest under one coach since 1986, the year it won its second championship. Speaking of streaks, when Lionel Messi came off the bench to score in the group finale, it gave him goals in a record seven consecutive World Cup games. He is tied with France’s Kylian Mbappé in the Golden Boot race, having scored six of Argentina’s eight goals. Unbeaten Cape Verde is playing in the World Cup for the first time, advancing to the knockout stages behind three straight draws, two of them clean sheets by Vozinha, the team’s 40-year-old keeper. It is the first debutant to go unbeaten in the group stage since Senegal in 2002. The smallest country ever to advance out of World Cup group play, Cape Verde had just seven shots on target in the group stage, according to FIFA.
Colombia vs. Ghana
Colombia’s Gustavo Puerta reacts during a match against Portugal at the World Cup on June 27.
The buzz: Unbeaten Colombia won its group but scored just once in its final two games. It’s 59 shots are tied for third in the tournament but just four of those found the back of the net. Goalkeeper Camilo Vargas, on the other hand, has been called on to make just five saves. Ghana is back in the knockout stages for the first time since 2010, advancing as a third-place team.
South American football expert Tim Vickery felt a typical Paraguayan spirit shone through on the day.
“Paraguay love adversity,” he said.
“If you’re looking for someone to relate to in this World Cup, look for Paraguay. That Welsh word ‘hwyl’, that grit and drive, when it gets difficult, that’s when they come alive.
“They’ve come through adversity to knock out a giant of European football. It’s not always pretty, they play within their limitations, but what drama, what a story.
“The objective in this tournament was to make Paraguay feel represented and they’ve done that in full.”
Paraguay now play either two-time champions France or Sweden iin Philadelphia on Saturday (22:00 BST).
Paraguay’s president Santiago Pena had already declared a public holiday after they had sealed World Cup qualification with a game to spare.
Now, with a place in the last 16 secured, attention turns to what he might have in store next for the celebrations.
Head coach Alfaro said he spoken to the president yesterday.
“He might declare another national holiday,” he joked.
“I want all of Paraguay to enjoy this. We may have our defects, but we have a heart that never gives up, and that’s what keeps us alive.”
Police say several people also injured while the suspected shooter has been arrested.
Published On 29 Jun 202629 Jun 2026
Five people have been killed and others wounded in a shooting at a youth welfare centre in the northern German city of Stade, according to police.
Two suspects were detained following the shooting on Monday, one of whom is believed to be the alleged attacker. The motive is not clear.
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“Homicides involving multiple victims occurred at a youth welfare facility,” police said. “Five people were fatally injured and additional individuals sustained injuries.”
Police in Stade said a major operation was being conducted on Dankersstrasse, a street south of the city centre. People were urged to avoid the area and follow the instructions of the emergency services.
Stade is about 40km (25 miles) from Hamburg with a population of half a million.
Group play is over and it’s knockout time at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The round of 32 is set, with tournament co-host Canada kicking things off Sunday when it faces South Africa at SoFi Stadium.
Here’s everything you need to know about World Cup knockout stage matches being played Sunday, Monday and Tuesday across the U.S., Mexico and Canada (all times Pacific).
Sunday’s round of 32 match
Canada vs. South Africa
Canada’s Alphonso Davies warms up before a World Cup match against Qatar on June 18.
The buzz: Both teams are making their first appearances in a World Cup knockout round, Canada (1-1-1) after losing its group-play final to Switzerland and South Africa (1-1-1) after upsetting South Korea. Canada, the first World Cup host to play a game outside its borders, could get a boost if Alphonso Davies, its best player, can play after missing the team’s first three games. South Africa scored just one goal of its own in the group stage; Canada got six in one game alone.
Monday’s round of 32 matches
Brazil vs. Japan
Brazil’s Matheus Cunha celebrates after scoring against Haiti at the World Cup on June 19.
The buzz: Brazil won Group C, posting consecutive 3-0 wins over Haiti and Scotland to close out the first round and run goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s shutout streak to 249 minutes. Vinícius Júnior, with four goals, and Matheus Cunha, with three, have accounted for all of Brazil’s scoring. Brazil hasn’t been eliminated in the first knockout stage of a World Cup since 1990. Japan has received goals from five players in an unbeaten run through Group F, where it finished second to the Netherlands. Japan has not won a World Cup knockout-round game in four tries.
Germany vs. Paraguay
Germany’s Kai Havertz reacts during a match against Curaçao at the World Cup on June 14.
The buzz: Germany scored 10 goals in the group stage, but the four-time tournament champions lost to Ecuador and had to rely on a tiebreaker to win the group over the Ivory Coast. Deniz Undav, with three goals, and Kai Havertz, with two, are the only Germans who have scored more than once. Paraguay gutted out a scoreless draw with Australia in its final game to finish third in Group D and squeeze into the round of 32. It has just two goals in the tournament, but it is coming off back-to-back shutouts.
Netherlands vs. Morocco
Brian Brobbey celebrates after scoring for the Netherlands in a win over Sweden at the World Cup on June 20.
The buzz: Morocco, a semifinalist four years ago, did not lose in the group stage but finished second to Brazil on goal differential, setting up this challenging matchup with the Netherlands. Morocco is ranked sixth in the world by FIFA, one spot ahead of the Dutch, who matched Germany with a tournament-high 10 goals in the first round. The Netherlands haven’t lost a first-round knockout game since 2006. Brian Brobbey has three goals for the Dutch while Cody Gakpo and Crysencio Summerville have two apiece. Ismael Saibari has scored in each of Morocco’s three games.
Tuesday’s round of 32 matches
Ivory Coast vs. Norway
Norway’s Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring against Senegal at the World Cup on June 22.
The buzz: Norway rested many of its regulars in its group-play finale, a 4-1 loss to France, to settle for second in Group I. Erling Haaland, playing in his first World Cup, had braces in Norway’s first two games. Ivory Coast finished second to Germany on a tiebreaker but advanced to the knockout stages for the first time. Villarreal’s Nicolas Pépé has two of the team’s four goals.
France vs. Sweden
France’s Kylian Mbappé points during a win over Norway at the World Cup on June 26.
The buzz: Unbeaten France, which has played in the last two World Cup finals, has designs on returning after dominating its group, winning two of its three games by three goals. Kylian Mbappé had braces in the first two games and is tied with Ousmane Dembélé for the team scoring lead for four goals. Sweden finished third in Group F, winning its first game by four goals and losing its second by the same margin. Sweden’s seven goals allowed matches Norway and Algeria for most by a round-of-32 qualifier.
Mexico vs. Ecuador
Mexico’s Luis Romo gestures during a win over Czechia at the World Cup on June 24.
The buzz: Mexico hasn’t won a knockout-stage match since 1986, the last time the tournament was played in Mexico. El Tri didn’t allow a goal in winning its group easily. Colombian-born Julián Quiñones leads the team with two goals. Ecuador beat Germany 2-1 in its final group-play match to squeeze into the knockout stages for just the second time, advancing as a third-place team. It was shut out in its first two matches.
Goals from Nilson Angulo and Gonzalo Plata help Ecuador come from behind to beat Germany 2-1 to qualify for the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup, as one of the top eight third-placed teams.
EasyJet has announced 13 new routes, including new city breaks for UK tourists
EasyJet has issued an update today, June 25, on new routes for UK travellers(Image: Michael Mulkens via Getty Images)
EasyJet has today revealed 13 brand-new UK routes set to launch this winter. Among them are flights and package holidays to a never-before-served destination in Germany.
This festive season, EasyJet will launch flights and packages to Nuremberg. Services will be departing from Manchester from 2 November on Mondays and Fridays, London Gatwick from 19 November on Thursdays and Sundays and London Luton from 23 November on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Nuremberg is home to one of Europe’s oldest and most celebrated Christmas markets. The iconic Christkindlesmarkt, which dates back to the 16th century, draws visitors from across the globe to soak up the festive atmosphere of one of Germany’s most beloved seasonal destinations.
EasyJet will also be expanding its offering from its London airports, with fresh routes launching to Morocco, France and Egypt. Flights from London Luton to Rabat get under way on 5 November, followed by London Southend to Lyon from 3 December, running on Thursdays and Sundays.
Completing the new additions, flights from London Southend to Sharm El Sheikh will kick off on 4 January, departing on Mondays and Fridays. The airline is also expanding its connections to Hungary, with fresh flights and package holidays to Budapest taking off from three UK airports.
Services from Bristol and Belfast International will commence on 17 November, operating on Tuesdays and Saturdays, while flights from Liverpool will get under way on 19 November, running twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays – perfect for a festive weekend getaway.
In Scotland, a brand new service from Edinburgh to Tromsø in Norway will launch on 30 November, operating twice weekly on Mondays and Thursdays and providing passengers with the only direct route to the ‘Gateway to the Arctic’. Meanwhile, in time for the festive period, flights from Glasgow to Krakow in Poland will commence on 13 November, with departures twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays.
EasyJet will enhance its Manchester network with a fresh service to Vienna in Austria, launching on 19 November with departures up to twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. Additionally, EasyJet is introducing its first international route from the Isle of Man, with a new weekly service to Geneva starting on 19 December, operating on Saturdays. The route will offer the only direct link between the Isle of Man and Switzerland.
The new routes take the airline’s total number of winter services introduced over the past fortnight to 26. Last week’s announcement featured a new direct service from Manchester to Sphinx Airport, alongside the carrier’s first ever international route from Cornwall Airport Newquay to Geneva. The airline says that package holidays can be booked through EasyJet holidays on all new routes with the exception of Luton to Rabat. All packages include flights and hotel, plus 23kg luggage and transfers on beach destinations such as Sharm El Sheikh, they say.
Holidaymakers can reserve their winter getaway with a deposit of £60 per person and until 1 July 2026, can save money on new bookings using the code FOOTBALL26.
Kevin Doyle, EasyJet’s UK Country Manager, said: “We’re thrilled to be announcing a further 13 new routes this winter, bringing the number of new routes on sale over the past two weeks to a total of 26. A real statement of our commitment to giving customers across the UK more choice from their local airport.. From winter sun escapes to magical Christmas market breaks, there’s never been a better time to book a flight or package holiday with EasyJet. We look forward to welcoming even more customers on board for their winter holidays.”
EasyJet and EasyJet Holidays say they have introduced their Book with Confidence Promise to reassure customers on their travel plans. The airline says that the pledge guarantees that flight and package prices will not increase in price once booked and confirms that EasyJet intends to operate a full schedule across its network, despite competitors cutting routes, as EasyJet prepares to fly over 50 million passengers this summer.
One of Europe’s largest military equipment producers, KNDS, rolled out long-awaited details of its initial public offering (IPO), aiming for a dual listing in Paris and Frankfurt in the coming weeks.
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The IPO could value KNDS, the maker of Leopard and Leclerc tanks, at between €12bn and €15bn, according to the Financial Times, potentially making it one of Europe’s largest defence listings in recent years.
The listing comes at a time when European military budgets are surging, driven by the war in Ukraine and doubts over the reliability of the US as a security guarantor.
The company declined to comment on the precise date, but CEO Jean-Paul Alary told reporters the offering was expected within weeks.
According to Alary, the move comes as the continent enters what he called a new era of defence and security, with armed forces modernising rapidly and rebuilding the land-warfare capabilities run down during decades of lower spending.
According to Reuters, the firm has now formally launched the IPO process, which is expected to take place in mid-July.
The announcement comes days after Germany unveiled plans to acquire a 40% stake in KNDS, saying the move would secure long-term influence over a company it considers strategically important to European security and defence.
France, which currently owns 50% of KNDS, is expected to reduce its stake to 40%.
The remaining 20% of the company is set to be floated on the stock market, with France and Germany each retaining 40% stakes following the transaction.
According to the Financial Times, the shares are expected to be marketed primarily to institutional investors amid strong demand for European defence stocks.
Once the listing is completed, KNDS shares will begin trading on Euronext Paris and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, giving investors direct exposure to one of Europe’s largest land-defence manufacturers.
KNDS was created in 2015 through the merger of Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and France’s Nexter.
A growing headache for Rheinmetall
The rapid emergence of the rival adds to the pressure on Rheinmetall, Europe’s largest ammunition maker and KNDS’s main competitor in subsectors such as land systems.
The Düsseldorf-based group, whose shares have shed roughly a quarter of their value this year, had itself reportedly hoped to buy into KNDS, only to be shut out by the governments’ intervention.
Rheinmetall, which had been poised to take over the project, fell 13% in early trading on Wednesday due to the news.
The squeeze also coincides with regulatory scrutiny at home.
Germany’s Monopolies Commission has warned that defence procurement is concentrated among a small number of suppliers, potentially weakening competition and driving up costs.
Calling for reforms to procurement rules, commission chairman Tomaso Duso said competition was “the fundamental pillar of Europe’s economic order” and should play a greater role in the defence sector.
A listed KNDS will give investors a direct yardstick against which to measure Rheinmetall’s order momentum and margins.
The German government announced on Monday that it intends to acquire 40% of the defence contractor KNDS, a move designed to bolster European arms production in partnership with its NATO and EU ally France.
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The decision deepens state involvement in a company whose hardware has become central to Europe’s rearmament efforts.
KNDS was created in 2015 through the merger of Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and France’s Nexter. The French state holds a 50% stake, while the other half belongs to the German family behind Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, whose planned exit has opened the door for Berlin to step in.
Based in Amsterdam, the group reported revenue of €4.4 billion last year and employs more than 11,000 people.
The timing reflects a broader scramble across Europe to expand military spending and manufacturing capacity, as governments weigh the continued threat from Russia’s war in Ukraine against growing doubts about the reliability of the US as a security guarantor.
Berlin framed the investment in explicitly strategic terms, saying it would secure lasting influence over a business it considers vital to European security and defence.
The German government added that the stake would reinforce domestic industrial output, technological independence and the safeguarding of key national security interests and technologies.
In a joint statement, Germany and France said they had agreed on the future strategy and governance of KNDS, which they intend to co-own through arrangements aimed at giving both countries equal shareholdings.
Clearing the path to a stock market listing
Neither government specified a timeline or the final level at which their holdings would settle, but they stated the agreement opens the way for a possible flotation of KNDS in the near future.
According to people familiar with the matter cited by the Associated Press, the two states plan to trim their stakes to around 30% within two to three years of any listing, while retaining equal voting rights regardless of the size of each holding.
The two governments cast the deal as a joint commitment to building up Europe’s defence industry and armed forces, and to securing the continent’s strategic independence well into the future.
State participation in the firm was first floated by German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius in 2025 as a way to protect strategic expertise and jobs.
Beyond its tanks, KNDS also manufactures the Puma infantry fighting vehicle and the Boxer and Dingo armoured personnel carriers, equipment which is in growing demand as European armies replenish stocks depleted by years of underinvestment and donations to Ukraine’s defence.
Germany come from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in Group E, sealing FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout place.
Published On 20 Jun 202620 Jun 2026
Deniz Undav scored two goals off the bench as Germany pulled off a thrilling comeback to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in their World Cup Group E match, securing their place in the knockout stage for the first time since they won the title in 2014.
After having two goals disallowed in the first half on Saturday, Germany did not lose focus and used intricate passing to find their way, while the West Africans produced their dynamic brand of attacking football in a wild Group E clash.
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Undav levelled the score with a controlled, volleyed finish in the 68th minute and struck again when he received a pass on the turn, before swivelling and firing home a ball that Yahia Fofana had no chance at stopping.
The versatile striker now has nine goals in his last eight matches.
Simon Adingra had a late chance for Ivory Coast, but he failed to get a shot off in the area before Germany charged back down the field and Fofana blocked a low shot from Nathaniel Brown.
Ivory Coast had opened the scoring in the first half when Franck Kessie slotted home a rebound off a shot by Amad Diallo on a play created when Yan Diomande charged down the left side and sent in a cross.
With more than 100,000 people of German ancestry living in Toronto, Julian Nagelsmann’s men enjoyed plenty of support but were a frustrated group at the interval with nothing to show for their eight attempts on goal.
Germany looked to have opened the scoring when midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic rose to meet a short corner in the 25th minute but was deemed to have fouled Fofana in the process.
The ruling left Pavlovic with his hands atop his head in disbelief while Fofana received some attention after the collision, and the partisan German crowd made their disdain for the referee’s decision known.
Shortly after, it was Ivory Coast who finally broke through with Kessie’s goal. The West Africans have scored in their last seven matches at the tournament – the longest such sequence on the global stage in their history.
Germany once again put the ball in the back of the net, but their celebrations were cut short as the referee determined that Jamal Musiala had fouled Odilon Kossounou in the buildup.
Germany top Group E with six points and are through to the last 32, while Ivory Coast remain on three after two matches. Ecuador and Curacao meet in Kansas City later on Saturday.
Germany will close out the group stage against Ecuador on Thursday in New Jersey, while Ivory Coast face Curacao in Philadelphia.
The airport has won a prestigious architecture award after a huge multi-billion Euro project, and it was the only European location on the list of the world’s most beautiful airports for 2026
08:58, 18 Jun 2026Updated 08:59, 18 Jun 2026
The airport was the only one in Europe to win the award(Image: Fraport AG)
The world’s most beautiful airports for 2026 have been announced, and only one European hub has made the list.
Prix Versailles published its World’s Most Beautiful; Airports List 2026, which included airports from around the world, “each one exhibiting extraordinary, distinctive architecture”, according to its press release. Among the winners on the list were Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in China, and Pittsburgh International Airport in the US.
The sole European destination to make the cut was Frankfurt Airport, which unveiled its brand-new Terminal 3 in April, mostly for passengers taking long-haul flights. The £3.46 billion expansion took over 11 years, and became one of the continent’s largest infrastructure projects.
Sitting on 1.3 square kilometres of land, it’s around the same size as Frankfurt’s core city centre, and it includes a 2,900-square-metre culinary space, 112 check-in counters, premium lounges, and upmarket boutiques.
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The terminal is connected to the rest of the airport via a 3-mile-long Sky Line people mover, which can carry up to 4,000 passengers, with the journey taking just eight minutes. Terminal 1 has two train stations connecting the airport to passengers’ final destinations: a Regiobahnhof that takes passengers into the city centre and Fernbahnhof where you can take Germany’s high-speed ICE trains across the country.
Terminal 3 was designed by architect Christoph Mäckler, and the awards announcement said it “was contrived to be a lively urban environment”. It added: “To give travellers a smooth, familiar experience, its piers, boarding gates and lounges emulate the streets and squares of a city. Its aesthetics rely on noble materials in warm tones, like Jura limestone and travertine. Vast spaces, bathed in natural light thanks to large plate glass windows, create a soothing atmosphere while minimising the use of artificial light sources.”
Frankfurt is not generally a city break destination chosen by Brits, but it has a colourful old town with medieval houses and historic charm. Römerberg in particular is popular with tourists, and the cosy half-timbered houses make the perfect backdrop for Frankfurt’s famous Christmas market.
The Städel Museum is another must-visit for tourists, and this vast art gallery has works from the Middle Ages to the present day, as well as impressive visiting exhibitions such as a Monet show that’s on until July 5. If you don’t have much time to see the city, head for the Main Tower, which stands at 240 metres, for impressive 360-degree views.
Frankfurt is also known for being the financial capital of continental Europe, and its financial district is sometimes known as ‘Mainhattan’ after the River Main and its skyline’s resemblance to New York. Wander around and you’ll see lots of unique, contemporary architecture such as the glass-panelled Commerzbank Tower and art-deco style Messeturm.
Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com
Russian artist Robert Kuzakov, known as Semyon Skrepetsky, was shot dead in Poland just three days after a performance protest in Berlin near the Russian embassy. He was known for his caricatures of politicians including Vladimir Putin and Alexei Navalny.
David Baerwald holds up his most precious possession so that it’s visible on our video conference: a very old violin in a very old, battered case.
Baerwald, an award-winning musician, film composer and songwriter who called Los Angeles home for nearly four decades, doesn’t play the violin. During his years with the Tuesday Music Club (immortalized in the Sheryl Crow album “Tuesday Night Music Club”), he played guitar. But the violin belonged to his grandfather Ernst Baerwald — and it plays an important role in his recently published debut novel, “The Fire Agent.”
Not every successful artist turns to a new medium at age 65 or moves to the opposite coast (Baerwald now lives in Kingston, N.Y.). Then again, not every artist has a family history quite like Baerwald’s, one that includes Germany and Japan, two world wars, a 1920s throuple and Beethoven’s Ninth.
On the Shelf
The Fire Agent
By David Baerwald Spiegel & Grau: 624 pages, $32
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The violin in Baerwald’s hands was the one his German-Jewish grandfather played as a Japanese prisoner of war in the Bandō camp at Tokushima during World War I. “It’s a very serviceable violin,” Baerwald notes. “A friend of mine played it for some years in the Long Beach Symphony. When my grandfather was older and wealthy, he bought a better violin, which was lost in a fire. But this is the one that matters.”
It matters because Ernst Baerwald was a founding member of a German POW orchestra that chose Beethoven’s great symphony as their premiere work — a performance so moving that it began a Japanese tradition marking the December holidays that persist to this day. Baerwald’s grandfather not only kept his violin throughout the war in which he fought; when he defected from the Third Reich in 1941, he placed it in an oiled bag and brought it with him via an oceanic escape.
Ernst Baerwald’s odyssey from a cushy childhood in Frankfurt to his final days in a beautiful Berkeley mansion, with a long sojourn in Tokyo along the way, reads like, well, a novel. Sent to an elite boys’ prep school in Germany, then on to a seriously disciplined Milanese dojo where he was trained by a Japanese sensei, Ernst was a prisoner in Japan for four years during World War I.
Those details might have been easy to find, but it wasn’t until David Baerwald went to clear out his parents’ house in Brentwood that he discovered papers showing that his grandfather had not only been the head of the Tokyo office of I.G. Farben, but that he had given a major speech to the nascent Office of Strategic Services (precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency) in 1943 that laid out the plan for the firebombing of Japan.
For the record:
10:56 a.m. June 8, 2026An earlier version of this story said Ernst Baerwald’s 1943 speech to the OSS urged use of the atomic bomb on Japan. It laid out the plan for the firebombing of Japan. It also said Kurt Baerwald joined the CIA. He joined the U.S. Army.
He also urged them not to allow partnerships between large corporations and the military, the way the German scientific community and government did with I.G. Farben and Krupp Armaments and Steel. “Any business that makes peace with Fascism will become Fascist,” he said. “And once Fascism captures economic control, then a Fascist coup will inevitably follow to seize political power. Germany, Italy, Rumania, Japan, Spain the story is the same. We cannot allow it to become the story of America.”
When Baerwald read that, “I was really alarmed, in the moment,” he says, realizing how closely tied his grandfather had been to the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. “But it gave me a plan.” He wanted to show how deeply his grandfather had become integrated into Japanese culture.
“One of my characters tells Ernst that he has ‘yuyo,’ which might best be described as grace,” says Baerwald. “Its Japanese meaning is closer to the state of a river rock that has been washed over and tumbled thousands of times, so that it’s both distinct, and a meaningful part of its environment.” To some extent, the author understands “yuyo” personally, having lived in Japan and been educated at its International School until age 12, when his family moved back to California, “although I wouldn’t claim it for myself,” he says.
That move, in the early 1970s, may have led to his career in music. “When we got back to the States, I was extremely troubled. Call me a fish out of water, I guess. I went through a period of voluntary mutism — I think they call it selective communication. I didn’t talk to anyone, especially not to my family. My hearing would sort of come and go at will, too.” His mother understood he seemed to like his sister’s acoustic guitar, so she suggested he take some lessons. “At the time, it wasn’t at all a career path, it was a way of reassembling my brain so that I could cope with the reality I was experiencing, finding a way to communicate again.”
Part of what he was experiencing, which he knows a great deal more about now, was feeling “the secrets that were the engine propelling my family.” After Ernst’s long career of service and deception, David Baerwald’s father, Kurt, entered the U.S. Army during WWII and later became a professor of Japanese studies at both in Japan and at UCLA. The effects on their family of five still reverberate. Baerwald’s mother eventually became a clinical psychologist who specializes in trauma. “I had to separate myself completely from my family in order to survive,” he says.
However, what stalled the writing of this first novel were the two decades he initially left out, which included Ernst, Lina and their lover Chizuko being a ménage à trois in a 1923 Tokyo dealing with the aftermath of an earthquake and wildfires.
Although “The Fire Agent” is based on Ernst’s history, not all of the facts are congruent. The wrestling coach at the American school in Tokyo, Ernst’s glamorous courtesan Chizuko, and many of the characters are composites. Speaking of that courtesan, Baerwald says it’s true that his grandfather and grandmother cohabited with a Japanese woman for many years, even after Lina and Ernst had a child together. “I found so many letters between my grandfather and my grandmother and I think they truly loved each other, and I think they truly loved that woman, too.”
That didn’t make it easy for Baerwald to write about that love. “My German grandmother, on whom Lina is partly based, was terrifying,” he says. “It was easier to write about her sex life with my grandfather and their Japanese lover by creating composite characters.”
He didn’t want to leave out their sex life, though, or that of others.
“Every generation of young people thinks they invented sex, right? But nothing is new — and it never gets old. Here’s an example. One of my godfathers, Sam Jameson, was the L.A. Times bureau chief in Tokyo for decades. He was also the doyenne, if you will, of the cross-dressing community in that city. It was this rich world he was a part of that nobody knew anything about. I based the character I call Bünheimer on him.”
Some of the worlds Baerwald has uncovered through his family’s papers are rich and sensual; others, like the POW camp where Ernst was held and the speech he gave to the OSS analysts at the Presidio in the 1940s, are stark and terrible. While he renders all appropriately, he’s aware that his perspective remains that of a white Western man. How did he gain the courage to write about people of other races, cultures and genders? He says it comes from something he did when he was on a swim team in high school. “The psychological trick I would play on myself at each meet was to imagine the water I’d dive into was freezing cold,” he says. “And of course it wasn’t. Which was such a relief and kept me going.”
Like his grandfather’s beloved violin, Baerwald has taken a deep dive into previously unknown waters — and survived. As he works on his second novel, he’s better prepared for airing family secrets and the publishing world. Ever the musician, he likens his first round with it to a Shepard tone, the auditory illusion that can make listeners feel like two notes one octave apart are constantly ascending or descending in pitch (Baerwald has worked with famed composer Hans Zimmer, who used the tone in, for example, “The Dark Knight”).
“A Shepard tone can make you feel like you’re flying. Or sinking,” he says. “At this point in my life and art, I prefer to have my feet firmly on the ground.”
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
In a significant development for Europe’s future air combat ambitions, Airbus is trying to restart the program to develop a sixth-generation combat jet, now under German and Spanish leadership. This comes less than a week after the Franco-German-led New Generation Fighter (NGF) effort effectively collapsed in its original form, amid acrimony between Paris and Berlin. The NGF was planned as the crewed centerpiece of the pan-European Future Combat Air System (FCAS), which Airbus, as the leading European aerospace corporation, now hopes to get back on track.
An exciting step for European sovereignty at ILA Berlin: “Team Gen 6”, a group of eight leading German defence and aviation companies signed a strategic positioning paper. The German and French governments have announced a realignment of the European Future Combat Air System… pic.twitter.com/aZcjAaO6dE
Airbus’s Defense and Space unit launched the ‘Team Gen 6’ initiative today with a message on X, declaring that it was “an exciting step for European sovereignty.” So far, eight German defense and aerospace contractors have signed a strategic positioning paper as part of the effort. Those firms are Autoflug, Diehl Defense, Hensoldt, Liebherr, MBDA Germany, MTU Aero Engines, and Rohde and Schwarz.
Reflecting the German-Spanish nature of the new program, those companies are now “closely integrated” with firms from Spain, comprising GMV, Grupo Oesia, Indra, ITP Aero, and Sener.
“While the development of the overarching [FCAS] ‘system of systems’ is progressing as before, the sixth-generation fighter aircraft integrated within it requires a new, agile industrial setup,” Airbus said.
A screencap from an Airbus video showing a notional future fighter working with remote-carrier-type drones. Airbus screencap
“As Team Gen 6, we have the capabilities and the capacities. Now, we are looking for close alignment with policymakers and the air force[s] to drive forward a superior European air combat system for collective security,” the X post stated.
Airbus also presented a video showing a notional concept aircraft flying with multiple uncrewed platforms. While not too much (as in not much at all) should be read into this, the crewed aircraft features canard foreplanes, a chin intake, and an unusual cranked wing.
Speaking just ahead of the announcement, at the ILA Berlin airshow today, where TWZ was in attendance, Jean-Brice Dumont, head of air power at Airbus Defense and Space, said the company remains committed to delivering a sixth-generation combat jet. “There is a need for a bit of a reshaping and reconsidering the reality of today,” Dumont added.
German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (second from left) and Jean-Brice Dumont (second from right), head of air power at Airbus Defense and Space, stand in front of a drone during a tour of the International Aerospace Exhibition (ILA). Photo by Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images
Dumont explained that the now-abandoned NGF was one of seven separate “pillars” of technology development being worked on under FCAS. As well as the crewed jet, pillars include powerplant, remote carrier vehicles, precision-guided weapons, and data connectivity.
“We have to consider safeguarding areas where it works, and how we reshape,” he added. “At the moment, we are going to seek guidance from our governments [on] what they want us to do. There has to be demonstrated an industrial feasibility of what is being asked — not only technical. That’s probably a lesson now,” Dumont added.
Dumont continued: “The world in 2026 is very different to the world of 2017 when the [FCAS] programme was launched. We have to accept that fact and reshape it — we need another way to get to the same goal, with faster milestones.”
“The problem we had is that we had drawn a line to 2040, and new technologies for everything,” Dumont added, referring to the goal of having the FCAS, including the NGF, in service by that date. “Today, you see demonstrations of connectivity, systems of systems and unmanned vehicles all around the world. The need is there, and in the countries that we are competing with, they are using it already.”
According to Dumont, the company has “put a number of options on the desk of our ministers and ministries of defense,” and is now awaiting further guidance from officials.
As the centerpiece of FCAS, in its original form, the NGF element was the most high-profile and challenging component of the project. However, it had long been dogged by disagreements over industrial workshare and leadership between Airbus and Dassault Aviation, which were the prime contractors for Germany and Spain, and France, respectively.
A 1:1 scale model of the NGF is unveiled at the Paris Airshow in 2019. Dassault Aviation
Dassault had demanded that it play the defining role in NGF, reflecting key requirements for the jet driven by the French Armed Forces. These included the ability to operate from aircraft carriers, and provision to deliver nuclear weapons. Germany or Spain needed neither of these functions.
Despite the disagreements that derailed NGF, Dumont argued that there had still been useful lessons learned from the FCAS program.
“What Phase 1A and 1B [of the program] have given is a very thorough analysis of the repartition of the work between the crewed and uncrewed platforms, and this remains. That kind of shapes what the manned aircraft will have to do.”
As an example of this work, Dumont pointed to ongoing work that will involve trials of a Eurofighter operating as a “command fighter” — a crewed jet that can operate in collaboration with drones, or what Airbus now refers to as uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft (UCCAs). The tests will see a Eurofighter fitted with a Rafael Litening 5 targeting pod modified to serve as the interface between the crewed jet and UCCAs. This should pave the way toward an in-service command fighter capability being introduced to the Eurofighter, something that will be incorporated in the sixth-generation combat jet from the outset.
A German Eurofighter with a Litening laser targeting and reconnaissance pod on the centerline station. Crown Copyright
Initial trials will involve a Learjet test configured as a surrogate command fighter and flying with drones in an “enhanced teaming” mode. Airbus hopes to have the command fighter-configured Eurofighter ready for operational service in 2029.
“The demand from the customers is: be ready early,” Dumont explained. “This is not a contradiction to the Future Combat Air System challenge — it is the need to have our platforms evolved earlier than we had traditionally planned.”
A model of a notional sixth-generation fighter displayed at ILA as part of a command fighter study by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Thomas Newdick
The termination of NGF and the launch of Team Gen 6 leaves plenty of questions over the future of Europe’s air combat landscape.
TWZ spoke to Douglas Barrie, senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) research institute in London, for his take on what might happen next.
On the matter of Germany and Spain now teaming up under the Airbus umbrella, Barrie said that the relationship makes a lot of sense, but its success is far from certain. On the one hand, the two countries already work together within Airbus, and both Germany and Spain are seeking a replacement for their Eurofighter fleets.
A pair of Spanish Air and Space Force Eurofighters. Spanish Ministry of Defense
“In terms of Team Gen 6, I do wonder if there’s an element of trying to kind of scramble to recover something from the wreckage of NGF, as it were, that the collapse of NGF doesn’t signal the end of Spanish industrial interest in next-gen combat aircraft development,” Barrie said. “But if somebody asked me, do I think between Germany and Spain, they can put together a credible program if nobody else is involved? I think that the numbers would be very difficult to stack up.”
Putting the German and Spanish future fighter requirements together, the two countries might, at best, need to build 300 new combat jets, with a figure of 250 more likely, Barrie contended. Team Gen 6 would then face a real struggle to break even.
This reality will, Barrie believes, force Germany and Spain to look for other partners, which will likely come down to a choice between the British-led Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) and the Swedish next-generation combat aircraft program, led by Saab. Of these, GCAP has the Tempest crewed fighter as its centerpiece, and also involves Italy and Japan. Sweden’s crewed fighter requirements are less clear at this point.
A scale model of a possible Tempest configuration, in Italian Air Force markings. Leonardo
Building a role for Airbus in GCAP would be difficult at this point. With the industrial architecture already in place, bringing not one, but two more partners into that program would be disruptive, particularly in terms of timeline. Already, the Japanese in particular are concerned about the pace of the program, especially since the United Kingdom has not yet fully committed to it in terms of funding.
“My own view is that the United Kingdom remains committed to the program, but there are financial pressures elsewhere,” Barrie noted. “I think that the more likely outcome in all of this is a kind of German, Spanish, Swedish tie-up. The kind of requirements in some ways are aligned a bit better.”
This extends to the size of the aircraft, Barrie observed.
“The kind of aircraft that the Swedes seem to be thinking about, the crewed element is probably more of a bigger Gripen E/F, heading towards Typhoon, in terms of size. This is more in keeping with what the Germans and the Spanish seem to be looking for. Obviously, the United Kingdom and Japan, in particular, need something with longer legs and bigger internal payload, hence GCAP.”
The Saab Gripen E. Saab
“GCAP will be highly capable,” Barrie continued. “That will come with a unit cost to go with it. Maybe what the Swedes, the Germans, and the Spanish might do will be cheaper.”
Provided a German, Spanish, Swedish teaming arrangement could work, the resulting combat jet could still enter a space where it would face competition for important export orders from France, which looks set to continue the development of the Rafale, especially now that NGF has collapsed. Further competition could be provided by South Korea with further developments of its KF-21 and Turkey with the TF Kaan, although these are notably less-ambitious fifth-generation designs.
The Tempest, as currently envisaged, with its very different set of requirements, would not necessarily be a direct competitor to Team Gen 6, Barrie argued, since it would be a closer match to the F-47 in terms of size, capabilities, and cost. While the potential size of this market would be more limited, probably U.S. reluctance to export the F-47 would play in the Tempest’s favor.
An official rendering of the Boeing F-47. U.S. Air Force
As to the possibility of the United States offering a ‘watered-down’ export model of the F-47, Barrie considers this unlikely to generate much interest.
“Yeah, you can have a downgraded version of my super airplane — as a kind of marketing slug that hardly sells, does it?” Barrie continued. “Even if it’s 10 percent less capable, even if it’s 10 percent less expensive, it’s still a likely unit cost of $250 million or more, which is eye-watering.”
This leaves us with the French, and what they might be able to recover from NGF.
If France goes it alone with a sixth-generation combat jet, Dassault will likely be strongly backed by the French government, and the company has traditionally punched well above its weight.
In the medium term, Dassault has a healthy backlog of orders for the Rafale and is very much at the right end of the cost curve. Barrie considers that the Rafale will remain a profitable airplane for the foreseeable future, but at some point, France will need to think about a successor based on an all-new airframe. Industrially, France has the capability to go alone with this, but they would likely look to a partner or partners to come on board. The likelihood of those partners coming from Europe has now been reduced, but other possibilities might be found in the Gulf states.
A pair of Rafales from the Qatar Emiri Air Force. Dassault Aviation www.twz.com
Then there is the question of India, which may still buy more Rafales but which, in the fullness of time, is likely to look for a new-generation fighter, and could be a potential partner for France.
“I don’t see the Indians ever being fully committed to only one country,” Barrie continued. India has already hinted that it might want to try and join the pan-European FCAS or GCAP. Meanwhile, Russia has been a long-term military partner for India, and Barrie thinks that the recent appearance of a two-seat version of the Su-57 Felon may well indicate another effort to sell that fighter to India.
The previously unknown two-seat version of the Sukhoi Su-57 Felon, which appeared earlier this year. UAC UAC
Were India to continue its pattern of buying Russian combat aircraft, that would give any potential European partner serious pause for thought, based on the security implications. Meanwhile, India also remains committed to developing its own next-generation fighter.
What the NGF debacle has demonstrated is that any potential partner with France on its next-generation combat aircraft program will likely have to be happy taking a junior role, with Dassault calling the shots.
The collapse of the New Generation Fighter could well be a pivotal moment for European defense cooperation, but it does not signal the end of Europe’s sixth-generation combat aircraft ambitions.
Airbus’s Team Gen 6 announcement marks the start of a German-Spanish-led industrial approach that its backers hope will be more agile and less contested than its Franco-German-led predecessor. However, significant political, financial, and industrial challenges remain, including the search for a reliable partner, or partners. As with NGF, the success of Team Gen 6 will ultimately depend on whether European governments can align their strategic priorities and industrial interests to deliver a sovereign future air combat capability.
Wales pairing Jonny Clayton and Nick Kenny continued their impressive start to the World Cup of Darts with a resounding victory over Group C opponents Thailand in Frankfurt, Germany.
Having had to go through group qualifying after Gerwyn Price withdrew, the new Wales pairing opened their campaign by thumping Lithuania 4-1, and then followed that up on Friday by beating Thailand by the same score.
The Welsh duo topped their group to book a Saturday afternoon tie at the Eissporthalle against USA.
Hosts Germany again impressed with a 4-2 win over New Zealand as Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko secured their place in the second round where they will play the Czech Republic.
Republic of Ireland’s William O’Connor and Mickey Mansell clinched top spot in Group D by beating Gibraltar’s Craig Galliano and Justin Hewitt 4-2, earning a tie against Poland.
The top ranked nations – including England, Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Scotland – enter the tournament in the second round.
England pair Luke Littler and Luke Humphries – the top seeds – face Spain, while defending champions Northern Ireland’s Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney begin their title defence against Belgium.
Scotland duo Gary Anderson and Cameron Menzies face Norway, while Netherlands pairing Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen take on Sweden.
France against Latvia completes the round two fixtures.
France and Germany have announced this week that they are ditching a landmark project to jointly develop a sixth-generation fighter jet.
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Monday that the project is being terminated, in what is being seen as a major blow to efforts to boost defence cooperation between European Union states, a key issue amid uncertainty cast by United States President Donald Trump over the readiness of the US to help defend its NATO allies.
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Trump’s disdain for Europe’s reliance on the US has been building for years.
Since 2019, the US president has been flirting with the idea of obtaining Greenland.
His remarks about his desire for the island, a self-governing territory which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, built to a crescendo at the start of this year, with European leaders signalling their displeasure with the idea and Trump even threatening additional trade tariffs on those countries standing in his way.
Both Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly stated that the island is not for sale.
At one point, before Trump backed down after agreeing to a “framework of a future deal” on Greenland during a January meeting with NATO’s Mark Rutte in Davos, it seemed as if the US might even try to take the island by force – a notion that would have been inconceivable before the era of Donald Trump.
The threat of military action set off alarm bells in European capitals.
In addition to all this, Trump has withdrawn much of the US’s support for Ukraine and has consistently berated his European NATO partners for not spending enough on their own defence for years, outright urging them to reduce their reliance on the US for military protection.
More recently, Europe’s refusal to join the US-Israeli war on Iran, which began with strikes on Tehran on February 28, has further irked the US president and deepened concerns that a widening transatlantic rift could weaken the continent’s security and embolden Russia.
Until this week, a counterweight to these burgeoning concerns was in hand – the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project, a landmark pact to jointly develop a next-generation fighter jet involving France, Germany and Spain.
But disagreements over whether France’s Dassault Aviation, or Airbus, which also represents Germany and Spain, should take the lead on the project have ultimately led to its collapse.
Analysts, however, say all hope is not lost: despite the dissolution of the bellwether venture, Europeans can indeed become strategically autonomous, they say – but the road there runs through shared military integration, rather than shared political aspiration.
The FCAS hoopla does “highlight the limitation of Europe’s defence industrial landscape, where national needs sometimes clash with the broader goal of defence integration”, Giuseppe Spatafora, a policy analyst at the European Union Institute for Security Studies, told Al Jazeera.
“But we also shouldn’t overestimate its impact.”
Setback, not collapse
According to Jamie Shea, a retired NATO official and associate fellow with the International Security Programme at Chatham House, FCAS’s dissolution is certainly a setback – but does not spell the collapse of European defence integration in its entirety.
“It was the type of high-tech, innovative and future-oriented programme that Europeans need to be able to achieve successfully if they are to become strategically autonomous and break their dependence on the US for major weapons systems,” Shea told Al Jazeera.
It had been hoped that FCAS would move the needle forward, particularly in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI), space, data fusion, and the manned and autonomous systems interface space, he said.
Others would have additionally joined the project as it gained momentum, as Spain did, he added, potentially creating a domino effect in next-generation defence technologies across the continent.
But, crucially, Spatafora said, the project dates back to 2017 – a different era, before Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine and before Trump’s return to the White House.
“Nowadays, the project might be designed differently to reflect the scenario,” he said.
“But it doesn’t affect the broader trend in Europe towards reducing dependencies on US military systems and strengthening its own defence capabilities.”
France and Germany will continue with some components of FCAS, such as its “combat cloud” feature, which will increase Europe’s cyber command-and-control capabilities, said Spatafora.
Airbus and a number of other German companies are also seeking to continue the programme in other areas, particularly software architecture and drone technology, Shea said.
“So there may be benefits for European defence and its defence technology base even if a manned fighter aircraft is not built,” said Shea.
Furthermore, there are “scores” of other joint defence projects being launched in Europe at the moment, even if they are not quite as ambitious as FCAS, he added.
Guntram Wolff, a senior fellow at the European think tank Bruegel, similarly urged against alarmism.
“I would not interpret this decision overly negatively,” Wolff told Al Jazeera.
“FCAS was a very complicated project and its military relevance may well be overstated at a moment of increasing importance of cheap autonomous systems. In part, the decision also reflects a reassessment of whether the high cost was really warranted.”
Europe, meanwhile, has other strengths it can build on, the analysts said.
The continent is strong in shipbuilding, submarines, short-range missiles and air defence – with systems like the German IRIS-T and the French-Italian SAMP/T – and has demonstrated it can build capable fighter jets, such as the Eurofighter Typhoon, Tornado and Gripen programmes have shown, Shea said.
Lessons and challenges
Europe’s main problem is underinvestment and the difficulty it has in scaling up to the level of mass production that modern warfare demands, said Shea.
This issue was brought into sharp focus this week when the UK’s secretary of state for defence dramatically resigned from government over defence funding.
He simply cannot keep the country safe on what he has been given to spend, he said. In his resignation letter to the prime minister, he wrote: “You have been unable and the Treasury has been unwilling to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats,” he wrote.
Ultimately, European nations are going to have to come together if they have any hope of matching US military might in the future, analysts say.
“It is the challenge of integrating all systems and all domains into a single battlefield management space where the US is in advance of the Europeans,” Shea said.
“Drones, which Russia and Ukraine are producing in the millions, are a case in point. Even the US suffers from weapons shortages as we have seen in the Iran war,” the former NATO official added.
Spatafora echoed the idea that the Russia-Ukraine war has lessons to offer the rest of Europe.
“The lesson of the war in Ukraine is that, in order to deter and defend itself properly, Europe needs cheap, mass-produced capabilities,” he said.
FCAS was about a very expensive capability, “so it was not really the key need for Europe’s deterrence today”, the analyst said.
The more pressing question that FCAS raises is how European nations will coordinate large projects which single countries cannot produce on their own and which could clash with the interests of numerous national industries. This is the conundrum which will likely shape the design of future EU instruments to support cooperative defence projects, said Spatafora.
Another challenge facing the continent is that major platforms like aircraft, ships or land warfare vehicles can take decades to develop, and contracts signed today will yield equipment that will not be on the battlefield before 2040, Shea said.
Europe will need to upgrade its current capabilities – recent upgrades to the Eurofighter jet and the Leopard tank are examples he cited – and look for gap-fillers elsewhere.
Spatafora argues that the FCAS collapse should not push European countries back towards reliance on American systems – or at least not more than they already have.
“The Trump administration’s approach and the depletion of stock after the Iran war have significantly reduced the reliability of US supplies,” he said.
The reliability of US guarantees, he added, depends on other assets – long-range missiles, forward-deployed troops, command-and-control infrastructure – “rather than on a next-generation fighter jet”, the analyst added.
‘Military requirements’ over ‘political ambition’
The FCAS failure is certainly good news for Russia, Shea said, “and also for the US, which will hope to sell Europe even more F-35s and maintain Europe’s traditional dependency on US military equipment”.
A rebound from the collapsed project, therefore, he argued, is necessary. But that is already in the works, analysts say, as Europe is already turning away from US dependability.
They point to the high likelihood of renewed interest in the UK-Italy-Japan Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) for a sixth-generation stealth fighter jet, in European Space Agency military space capabilities, and in EU defence financing mechanisms like the Security Action for Europe (SAFE).
Joint ventures with Ukraine, which, under fire from Russia for four years, has mastered mass production of drone technology and AI, should also help keep Europe up to speed in key areas, Shea added.
“The US has proven to be unreliable, or simply unable to remain committed to Europe, and the defence budgets are growing,” Spatfora said.
Washington will continue to remain relevant for certain capabilities – nuclear deterrence above all – but over time, European countries will seek to develop more and more on their own.
The ultimate lesson of FCAS, however, Shea argued, is that defence integration “has to be driven by military requirements rather than political ambition”.
Cooperation between France and Germany has always been difficult, he said – they have large defence companies “that do not want to play second fiddle to the other”, he said.
A more promising model, he said, is the joint UK-Norway agreement to produce a new destroyer-class warship, with BAE Systems as the main contractor and smaller Norwegian companies participating.
“Both countries operate in the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea and share exactly the same concept of what the ship should be,” explained Shea.
“So it is this model of bottom-up, natural cooperation rather than top-down political cooperation that Europe needs to pursue.”
